What Starts with Effort
by Oh-no-she-di'ent
Summary: Lorelai and Luke get closer when Lorelai gets caught in a scary situation. Takes place S4. Complete. Despite the description, it doesn't have too much angst. Genres: romance, humor, friendship, angst, general. That about covers it. Enjoy.


_**Disclaimer: **_Not affiliated with Gilmore Girls.

What's up, Readers? I'm sorry for the hibernation period. Just been trying to keep my head on and my sanity in place—small things like that. But love for GG never wanes! :). I'll admit that this story is long overdue. It's for **Jareth's princess (Kimi)**, and even she probably forgot about it lol. But the idea was presented to me while I was in the middle of ADR.

**Kimi **asked for a story involving Lorelai and a ex/ admirer who's a little too caught up. She wanted to see _Friend_, Luke step in and offer help in some way. It was an idea that I liked, so here we are. I tried not to make it _too_ predictable as a courtesy to the many bored (seen-that-read-that-this is wack) LL fiction readers out there lol. Hard to do, but it's worth a shot. This takes place in Season 4 but there are inconsistencies, so just flow with it. There's no Jason or Nicole. It's complete. I planned to keep this K+ or T but it went in another direction, and I ended up cranking out another M rated fic. Smh. Enjoy the story.

**What Starts with Effort**

The Firelight Festival.

Fun, food, laughter, good times, good _times_.

Lorelai stood by the fire. She looked around the crowded square and felt instant warmth. The fire aided, of course, but the glow originated inside. All of Stars Hollow was out, it seemed. All of Stars Hollow, including Luke. Yes, Luke. He sat on a bench. Lorelai took notice of him from several yards away, and for a few real seconds, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.

Luke didn't go to any of the town's festivities. Out of the many that had taken place, Lorelai could only remember him being at a handful. Every once in a while, he'd decide to throw a bone to the quirky town and its even quirkier inhabitants. He would slip in, stay long enough to realize why he usually avoided the event, and then he'd slip back out unnoticed by all except Lorelai.

She brought her cup to her lips and sipped Founder's Day punch. The vodka cocktail went down about as smooth as turpentine. She turned her eyes from Luke and to the cup she held. "Ugh, god, putting _down_ the cup now," she declared as she did just that.

Sookie smiled while still taking in the revels. Lorelai had only taken a few sips of the punch and was already throwing in the towel, which was odd. "Taking it easy tonight?" she asked her.

Lorelai shrugged. "Too much alcohol going in, and not enough gloominess to support it," she explained. She closed her coat and folded her arms over her chest to fight off the night chill. She glanced over at Luke again. "This night off from the parents has me unable to appreciate Patty's potion like I normally do."

"Yeah, you usually hit your parent's house before these festivals, don't you?"

She nodded. "Makes me worthy of one of these cups. Right now I just feel like a phony."

"Well, at least now you're looking at a hangover-free morning post-Firelight."

Lorelai looked from Sookie, around the square leisurely, then finally back over to Luke. He stared in one area. She chuckled at Sookie's realization as she followed Luke's line of sight and discovered the target. "Yeah, I hear there's a first time for everything, so this must be mine," she finally responded to her friend. She turned to her. "Hey, I'll be right back, okay?"

Sookie nodded and asked, "Where you going?"

"Gonna say 'hi' to Luke. I'll just be a second."

"Oh, okay."

Lorelai left Sookie and made a pit stop at the punch bowl before she headed over in Luke's direction.

He didn't see her approach. She exhaled loudly, just to make noise when she sat down next to him on the bench. He whipped his head around to her, startled. His wide eyes met hers, and she smiled.

"Hiya."

He rolled his eyes from her face and placed his hand over his heart. "Jeez, Lorelai, you scared me."

"Did I?" she asked casually. Her eyes went to where his had been.

Luke took a breath as he calmed. He used his chin to point out her cup. "I can't believe you're actually drinking that stuff."

Her focus still rested ahead. "Well, I've reached my limit for the night. Brought this for you, actually." She lifted it to him and looked at him. "Do you dare?"

He shook his head and answered coolly. "Not on your life."

She brought it back down with a shrug. "Okay. Well, the fire's getting a little low. I'll go over and toss some on in a minute."

"Yeah, blow up the town. That'll liven things up."

Lorelai smiled.

Luke relaxed. "So, when did you get here?" he asked.

She leaned down and set the cup at her feet. "She's pretty."

He watched her confusedly as she erected herself once again. "Who?"

Lorelai crossed her legs comfortably and gestured out into the crowd. "The _who_ who you've been checking out for the past few minutes," she answered with a friendly chuckle.

Luke's cheeks flushed, and he blinked and looked away. "Jeez."

Lorelai's lips spread more at him, and she focused again on the 5 foot 5 inch lady with heels and dirty blonde hair who talked with friends in the distance. "She's pretty," she said again. She watched her with a critical eye, taking in everything there was to take in and then some. "Very feminine," she added.

Luke looked back to the woman then at Lorelai with a frown. "Did you think I'd prefer somebody with a broader back?" he asked defensively.

Lorelai laughed softly as she looked at his squinted eyes. While strange, she felt momentary embarrassment. "No, I'm just saying she's…really…you know." She regarded the woman again, suddenly realizing she'd kill to have the shoes she wore so well. She sighed and brought her eyes back to Luke who still looked at her for an answer. "She's really pretty, Luke," she ended in quiet resignation.

He seemed to accept that answer when he turned away. Lorelai was grateful. "Well, I'm sure she'd appreciate you saying that," he remarked flippantly.

Lorelai took a heavy breath as she made more of an effort to scan the whole crowd and stop staring at one individual. "So, what's the next move? Want me to swoop in there, set you up to get the digits?"

Luke gave her a somber stare down that made her laugh. "Are you asking me if I need help from you getting a woman's number?" he asked.

She considered that. "Yeah."

"No," he answered immediately.

She nodded. "You work alone?"

"I don't work at all," he said, turning red.

"Of course you do," she followed, amused by his fluster. "See that diner back there? Check out the name on the window."

He paused for a long moment before sighing. "Stop trying to make me crazy, Lorelai."

She smiled gently. "Sorry."

He rolled his eyes. "Sure, you are," he replied with doubt. He knew how much pleasure she got from teasing him.

"No, mean it. I don't want to make you crazy," she said with a sincerity that made him look at her for signs of truth. She gave a considerate wink before adding, "At least not over this."

He shook his head. "Oh, well, thanks, I guess."

Her eyes were on the side of his face. "So, what do you like about her?" She saw his eyes go back to the woman briefly before he rolled them away.

"I think I'm about to head back to the diner."

She smiled. "Don't go," she said peaceably. They met eyes. "I know you don't hang with any guys, you know. I just wanted to give you an opportunity to do the _'yeah, check out her ass'_ thing. With me." When she smiled more, she saw his icy look melting. She tapped his leg. "I'd do that for you, you know."

That broke him. He smirked. "Not too degrading?"

She quickly shook her head at his question, glad he was going along. "No, I'm a complete natural. Check me out." Lorelai looked at the woman. Luke looked at her. "Dude," she began in her best male voice, "Do you see that…" She scanned the woman. "..that…hair?" she ended lamely. "Not one split end in sight."

She brought her attention back to Luke and found him smiling. "You're right. _Complete_ natural," he mocked.

"Exactly what you were thinking about her, right?"

He looked away. "Right on the money."

She grinned. "So, I make a good guy friend?"

Luke chuckled as he leaned on his knees and looked at the ground. "You make a good friend. You don't need to be a guy."

She poked her lip out sadly, as she eyed the curly long hairs under the bill of his cap. "But who will you do your _ass_ talk with? I don't want you to feel like you're missing out."

He reached down and pulled a few blades of grass from the ground. "Ya know, Lorelai, I _think_ I can live without it," he revealed lightheartedly.

She smiled, and then looked, again, at the woman before she tapped Luke's back lightly. He looked back at her. She waved him up with a quiet, "Come here." He sat all the way back and regarded her. She stared at him hard like she was thinking. "Um…ten o'clock, I think," she finally said.

He squinted. "What?"

"Your ten o'clock," she said with a nod of her head that sent his eyes past her out into the crowd.

"What the hell am I looking at?" he asked while his eyes bounced all around the metaphorical clock.

"_Ten o'clock_, Luke," she emphasized. She grasped his chin without thinking and directed his eyes there. "Wow, prickly stubble you have there," she said as she lowered her hand while rubbing her fingers together.

He continued to look at, what he saw as, nothing. "Yeah, I hoped it'd keep people from grabbing my face and forcing it in places without permission. Shoulda known it wouldn't stop you, though." She met his eyes and stared at him as a smile broke out across her face. After a few seconds, he looked from the crowd to her. "What?" he asked annoyed. He still didn't know what he was supposed to be looking at.

She smiled so wide before shaking her head. "Nothing, Luke." She directed his eyes back out. "I think that was too dirty for, even, me anyway."

"Lorelai, what am I looking at?" he snapped.

She glanced over and noticed the man still standing there. She told Luke, "Guy in the light blue shirt. Hands in pockets."

He shrugged. "Okay. So?"

"You see him?"

"Yeah. So?" he repeated, taking his eyes back to Lorelai. "Who is he?"

She smiled. "He's my you."

"What?"

"He's my admirer."

He frowned. "How does that make him your _me_?"

She gestured toward the woman in heels. "Well, if I were her. If I were her, he'd be my you."

Luke rolled his eyes. If he let her keep going, he'd never find his way back out to the sane world. "So, he likes you?" he asked clearly.

She nodded. "I'm pretty sure he does."

"How do you know?"

"Call it woman's intuition."

Luke's eyes shifted, as he finally realized they were having a discussion about a guy for Lorelai. "Well, good for you, I guess." She nodded thoughtfully. He seemed annoyed as he blurted, "Why are you telling me this?"

"I dunno," she answered honestly. "I guess I figured we had a little something in common on this." They both looked over at the man who occasionally tossed glances in their direction. Lorelai looked at Luke. "Don't you think?"

He shrugged. "Not really."

"Well, that guy likes me, and you like the woman with the gorgeous shoes."

"I never said I like her," was his retort.

Lorelai absently watched the large crowd. "And she likes you too," she added.

His head was slow in turning to her. "Another instance of woman's intuition?" he asked mockingly.

Her eyes swept over the woman once again. She saw her glance back at Luke. It was the third glance that she knew of. Lorelai assumed a friend of hers had told her about the cute, scruffy guy who was checking her out on the sly. Her first glance was curiosity. That glance ended in approval. Now, it seemed she wanted to make sure he hadn't lost interest.

Unless she faced Luke, unwrapped a blow pop and started sucking it in and out of her mouth while making googly eyes at him, Luke would remain clueless, for sure.

Lorelai brought focus to her own shoe, which wiggled reflexively in front of her. "Yeah. Woman's intuition," she finally answered.

He folded his arms. "I hope you pardon my skepticism."

Lorelai took a heavy breath and looked at the man who seemed to be waiting for her to leave Luke's side so he could swoop in. "Well Luke…I guess you and I are too hot for our own good."

"What do you mean?"

She smiled. "We're sitting here together. Could easily be an item, you know?" He averted his eyes. "But here we have two people who couldn't care less. They're just waiting for one of us to head off to pull the car around or something."

He chuckled. "Only you would think something like that."

She continued. "I don't know what _her_ excuse is, but my guy—"

"_Your_ guy?" he asked teasingly.

Her smile widened, and she went on. She knew he got what she meant. "—probably saw you looking at another girl's goods and figured the relationship was headed for the dumps anyway, so he stuck around. Never know a good thing 'til it's gone, huh, Luke?"

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, jeez."

She chuckled and patted him on the leg. "I thought I'd squeeze another one of those out of you before the night was done."

He looked at the man. "You wouldn't be you if you didn't," he mumbled.

She leaned her head closer to him as she looked out in front of them. "So, what do you think? Should I go for it?"

He turned and eyed her profile. "With him?" he asked with a not-so-subtle point.

"Well, _she's_ already taken, so yeah, _him_."

His tone changed to something a lot less playful. "What do I care?"

She leaned away, and her smile faded a bit as they looked at one another. "You don't care?"

"Why the hell would I?"

She appeared insulted. "Well, _I_ care." She gestured toward the lady in heels. "When it comes to her," she continued. "If I got a bad feeling about her, I'd let you know that." She paused as she scanned his face. "So…just to clarify, you don't care when it comes to me?" she asked. Her voice was way more serious than he'd ever known it could be.

He sighed. She had really taken that out of context. "I didn't mean it like that, Lorelai."

"Well, how did you mean it?" she wanted to know.

He rolled his eyes. "Not like that," he answered evasively. Before she could say anything, he spoke again. "I care. You know I do."

She loosened up again. "My god. For a second there, I thought I'd wasted eight years of friendship on you," she followed.

That alerted him, made him defensive. "Well, you _haven't_," he asserted with attitude.

That brunt is what alerted her. "Calm down, Luke," she said with a light touch to his arm. "I was just kidding."

"Yeah, that's hilarious," he stated, his tone sour. It made him angry to think she regretted anything about their friendship.

Her eyebrows went up. "Um I…guess I need to work on my material some. Are you okay?"

He took a breath. "I'm fine."

"Your tone says you're not fine," she said solemnly. She paused. "I really was kidding; you _know_ that."

He came to a fast conclusion that he was being overly sensitive, and he tossed her a regretful look. "I know. Don't worry about it, we're okay."

"Are we?"

"Yeah."

She squinted. "If you're lying to me, I'll be able to tell very easily."

"Can you tell now?" he challenged.

She studied him. "Not really."

He rolled his eyes away. "Well, just take my word for it."

She let out a defeated sigh. "Lucky for you, you make my food. I had to put my trust in you a long time ago for that reason."

"If that puts an end to this conversation, then consider me grateful." He shifted, gaining better body language for his improved mood.

"Good. I'll take it." She relaxed. "And now that we've gotten the emotionally draining part of the evening out of the way…" He rolled his eyes and Lorelai grinned, "…let me ask you again. Should I give the guy a chance or what?"

Luke took in a large amount of air and released it gradually, attempting to roll with the punches. He studied the man who was now making very little effort to appear inconspicuous. "Sure, why not?" he finally said.

"Really?" she asked. "You don't pick up anything on your guy radar?"

Since he didn't know there was such a thing, he answered with, "I guess not."

She smiled. "Good enough for me."

He nodded and dropped his eyes. "Okay well, I'm gonna go back inside. Gotta get up early tomorrow."

She watched him straighten his hat to busy his hands. "Okay," she followed. "I…take it you're not going to talk to her."

He glanced over at the woman then looked back down. He shook his head. "No, I'm not," he answered.

Lorelai's eyes remained on him. She nodded slightly as questions crowded her head. So many questions. She wanted to ask a few, if not all, just to get a sense of peace within herself.

Luke could be such a mystery.

She settled on a question. She asked him a question that she'd asked earlier—a question that was still without an answer. "What do you like about her anyway?"

He looked at Lorelai then. She'd spoken quietly. She definitely hadn't meant for it to sound quite as meek as it'd sounded. Her following remarks were louder, more normal. Back at a register she recognized, with jocundity that was expected. "I mean, other than the split-end_less_ hair, which we've established is a complete turn-on."

That joke died pretty quickly, as Luke didn't share her laughter.

They stared for a second. No more. Those looks would never last more than a second or two.

"I don't like anybody. I was just looking through the crowd, Lorelai."

Amused, she turned away. At least he was consistent in character.

"It was nice to see you come out tonight. Guess I'll see you in a few years at another one."

"Or in the diner tomorrow."

She shrugged. "It's no firelight, but the appeal remains high." She smiled and laid a hand on his thigh as she uncrossed her legs to stand. "Goodnight, Luke."

His jaw flexed before an affable look of support crossed his features. "Yeah, you too. And good luck with…that thing."

Her smile spread. "The landing the guy thing?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Good luck," he repeated.

He turned his eyes away when she kept looking at him. She sat back again and crossed her legs. Her body seemed closer than it'd been before. "Do you want to know what I see in him?" she asked kindly. She gave him that courtesy since she'd ask him the same question. He'd never ask her on his own.

The question threw him off. Then, he was thinking while looking over at the man. He was well groomed, stylish—Luke's complete opposite, really. Finally, he answered. "I have a few ideas," he stated casually.

Lorelai didn't ask what those ideas were. "He's putting himself out there. He doesn't know me, and I don't know him. But I'm willing to bet that as soon as I leave this bench, he's going to make an effort, take a chance. I can appreciate that."

Luke let quiet fill the next few seconds. "_That's_ what you see in him?" he asked doubtfully.

She smiled. "Well, it helps that he doesn't look like a gremlin too."

"So…all you require is the effort?"

"It's smiled upon."

"And the non-gremlin like appearance, of course," he added.

Laughter that time. "Well, yeah. Don't have much else to work off of in this case," she ended with a shrug. She scanned his eyes. "It uh…also doesn't hurt that your guy radar cleared him."

He smiled. "So, if it doesn't work out…"

"This is on your head, buddy."

He lowered his eyes. "Figured."

Lorelai took a moment and allowed humor to fade. She asked him softly, "Is it okay that I talked to you about this?"

He answered like he felt he should answer. He was still uncomfortable hearing her talk about a guy, but it wasn't too bad. She didn't talk about it in a way that made it unbearable. "Yeah, it's okay."

She smiled a slow, easy smile at his simple answer. "Okay," she said under her breath. She prepared herself to stand again. "I'll see you tomorrow for coffee." She waited for him to agree. He did with a nod. Her eyes turned a shade bluer, she blinked a few times more than was normal, but her tone didn't change up this time. "And maybe then you can tell me what's so special about the lady in heels."

His cheeks turned colors.

Her smile turned gentle, and she sat there seconds more. Just looking at him. Then, she stood.

Luke watched her walk away. She wasn't in a hurry to go. There was just a stroll as she moved away from him and over into the crowd—near the man that waited with patience for her to…bring the car around. She passed by him, and Luke watched him take a deep breath before he fell in behind her.

Luke lowered his head away from that show. He got up, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and headed back into the diner.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Luke wondered, but never asked.

When it came to Lorelai's life, if it didn't have to do with her parents or Rory or Stars Hollow, he simply didn't ask.

He wanted to know how it was going with the Firelight guy. He wanted to know what he said to her when he approached her, whether she was taken by him and why. He wanted to know if they went out, if they were _still_ going out.

Curiosity was something that couldn't be avoided no matter how gruff the person.

More often than not, Lorelai would volunteer information on her own and unknowingly feed his curiosity with a giant spoon. Whether or not he liked the taste was another story.

Two weeks passed before Luke learned something other than the guy's name. He finally got insight. Lorelai was sitting in the diner munching on the last of her french fries, and his back was turned.

"I think Aaron's history," she said from nowhere.

He faced her, eyes wide. "What?"

She pointed a fry at him. "You remember Aaron, right?" She barely gave him time to answer. "The guy at the Firelight festival. You forgot already?"

He rolled his eyes like he was bored with the conversation already. Like anything, no matter how small, could steal his focus at any moment. It wasn't an act, really. It was simply his nature. Lorelai had his attention, though.

"No, I remember him," he answered without presumption.

She nodded languidly then stuffed the fry in her mouth. "We've been out a few times," she revealed. She wrinkled her nose, sorta in a thoughtful way. "He's a little weird," she added quietly.

Luke looked off to the side like someone had called him as he came back with, "So weird you went out with him three times?"

She shrugged. "Had to make sure I was accurate in my diagnosis."

He looked at her again, satisfied his words didn't cause insult, though a part of him kind of meant for them to. "So you think he's weird," he stated.

She ate one last fry then pushed her plate away. "Just a little off. Intense, I guess."

"Intense?" he asked attentively. He brought his voice back to neutral. "In a bad way or…" He let her pick it up.

"No, no, nothing like that," she replied. She straightened up and attempted to lighten the tone of the conversation. "What I should say is that he's just not for me. We're both great. I'm just a teeny bit more fabulous than him." She lifted her mug to her lips. "But when is that _not_ the case, right?" She smiled.

Luke nodded once and started wiping down the counter. He remembered how she'd begun the talk.

"So you're gonna end it with him?"

She nodded. "Well, yeah. Lack of fabulousness isn't something that's easily cured. I have too much going on to take on a project right now."

"Yeah, guess so," he followed without the smile Lorelai was going for.

She moved past that. "Okay, enough about me and my unexciting life," she began, "What's going on with you?"

His eyes moved to her. "However unexciting your life is, I'm pretty confident you've got me beat, so let's leave it there." He grabbed the coffee pot and held it up. "Refill?"

Lorelai shook her head. "No, thanks."

He returned it to the base and started wiping the counter again. "No to coffee, she says. Makes him think that maybe she finally opened her ears up and took in something he's been warning her against for years."

She smiled. "And it makes her think that maybe he's betrayed his Trekkie roots and has watched one too many episodes of Wonder Years, end voiceover now."

He shook his head. "Jeez, I swear you're like an elephant. You never forget anything." He still had quite a bone to pick with Mia for telling her about the stupid Star Trek phase in his youth.

"It's all a part of my charm, Luke. I retain to entertain." He breathed a heavy breath as he stopped and inspected the counter for missed spots. "Well," Lorelai continued, "I guess I can get going. I'm headed back to the inn, and I think I'm charged up enough to last me a few hours." She picked up her purse from the stool next to her. "I'll be back sometime tonight for another boost." She took out money and placed it on the counter with her hand over it. "Save me a stool, okay?"

Luke slipped the bills from under her fingers. "I'll see what I can do." He counted the money out then dropped two dollars back down. "You're tipping too much."

She looked at the two bills then back at him. "So, you decided to give me back the whole thing?" she asked with amusement.

He stuffed the rest of the money in his back pocket and picked up the rag. "You get one chance to tip. You lost yours."

Lorelai placed the money back inside her purse with a shake of her head. She stood up and got her coat on. "And you say _I'm_ a lot of work."

His eyes met hers, and there were two smiles.

She turned. "Bye, Luke."

"See ya."

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai looked at the screen of her cell phone.

"Third time."

Sookie turned quickly from the stove at the Dragonfly. "He called again?! Are you kidding me? It hasn't even been an hour!"

Lorelai tossed her hands up as the phone stopped ringing then started ringing again. "Fourth time," she breathed out.

She and Sookie shared a look before she connected the call. "Hello?" Her voice was low. Any more of a volume would make it abundantly clear how annoyed she was. She crossed her free arm over her chest and shook her head at Sookie as she listened. "Oh, you didn't have to call back _just_ to leave a message," she said aloud for Sookie benefit. "You've left plenty already."

Sookie mouthed the word, _'crazy!'_ as she circled her finger around her ear.

Lorelai sighed. "Listen, Aaron, why don't we meet tonight. We have to talk." She turned away from Sookie's warning waves. She listened to his response, then turned back quickly. "You're _already_ in the parking lot, are you?" She pointed to the phone in her hand with disbelief as she stared wide-eyed at Sookie.

Sookie dropped the long-handled spoon to the stove, and her hands went to her hips. "Tell me you're joking," she ordered without caring about volume.

Lorelai held a hand out to silence her. "Okay," she said. "See you in a minute."

With that, she ended the call.

"Lorelai!"

Lorelai took a breath. "Don't say it."

"Oohh my god! This man is a nutjob!"

She stayed calm, trying to think. "Told you not to say it," was her cool response.

Sookie pointed a finger at her. "If you don't end this thing soon, you're going to end up in a body bag!"

"That's quite the image, Sook. Thanks for the support, I think." She tucked her hair behind her ears and looked at the door to the kitchen. "I guess I have to go talk to him."

Sookie picked Lorelai's phone up from the counter and held it out. "You know, no one would think any less of you if you just handled this like a one-night stand. And it wouldn't even be that big a slap in the face because you haven't slept with him." She held it out more. "Call him back and tell him to get lost."

Lorelai took the phone and laid it back down. "Sook, he's already here."

"Exactly! He is here, and _no one_ invited him here!"

"He's spontaneous?" Lorelai asked with an emerging smile.

"No, he's a stalker!" she proclaimed. "Two weeks of dating time does not constitute surprise office visits! Jackson has been my _husband_ for two years, and he doesn't even do that. And he sure as heck doesn't call me twenty times a day!"

"Oh, I pity your love."

She picked up the phone again. "_Call_ him. Or send Michel out there with a note that tells him to leave and never come back if you want. Either one is fine with me. You just don't go out there yourself."

Lorelai cocked her head with a humored look. "Sookie, relax. You're freaking out over nothing."

"Over nothing?!"

"_I'm_ going to go talk to him," she stressed. "And before you know it, this will all just be a funny story we tell at cocktail parties."

Sookie scoffed. "Lorelai!"

Lorelai walked toward the exit. "Go stir something, Hon. I'll be back in a jiffy."

Sookie looked around helplessly for a moment before she ran up behind her. "Wait, I'll go with you."

She laughed as Sookie crowded her heels. "That's really not necessary."

"It's okay. He'll never suspect a thing. I'll…just stand off to the side and busy myself with something. I'll, uh, act like I work here."

"Sweetie, you do work here."

"Then it'll look that much more convincing!"

Lorelai laughed again. Sookie remained serious and watchful. They walked out of the kitchen joined at the hip.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Luke looked up as Lorelai came into the diner just before the dinner rush.

He watched her confusedly as she came to sit on her stool. "Hey," she breathed out tiredly. He said nothing. She raised her eyes to his and saw his puzzled expression. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

He glanced at his watch before answering her question with one of his own. "Why are you here at 4:30? You never come in at this time."

Relieved that was all that was on his mind, she relaxed. "What's the big deal?" she asked casually. "Do you serve someone else in my seat during this time?" She paused and her mouth dropped open as something occurred to her. Her voice got low. "Are you diner-cheating on me, Luke?" He rolled his eyes away, but she had entered a zone. "Does she order a bigger burger? Provide you with superior wit? Did you really think I wouldn't find out? Don't think I didn't see the butt print when I sat down," she declared, pretending to be heartbroken. "The stool is still warm, for god's sake! How could you do this to me, Luke? _How_?!"

Luke looked around at the faces that had turned toward the apparent drama.

"Ignore her," he announced plainly. His eyes went to her smiling face. "She's extremely unstable," he ended.

Lorelai glanced back and saw customers return to their own conversation in no time. She frowned and turned back. "It saddens me how easily they believed that to be true."

He smiled. "So, really, what are you doing here?"

She linked her fingers together on the countertop. "Well, you see, Luke, I have a little stalker-type-situation, and I figured--"

"You have a _stalker_-type-situation?" he asked, interrupting her casual disclosure. He stopped what he was doing. "What does that mean?"

"It means I have a situation with a stalker," she answered easily. "So, anyway, what I've decided to do is--"

He shook his head rapidly while holding a hand out to her. "You have a _what_ now?!"

"Oh my god, am I speaking in code here? Catch up, Luke. I have a stalker. A staaaalker. One who stalks. Follows. Pursues without permission." She paused. "You want me to draw you a sketch?" He still looked at her. He was trying to piece together what she'd said. She took it as him being completely lost. "Oh man. Hand me your pad and pen," she said while reaching.

He fell out of his stupor and barked at her, "I don't need a sketch, Lorelai! What do you mean by stalker? Who the hell is stalking you?"

She connected her fingers back together, and her tone changed up a bit. Got more serious. She answered, "Aaron."

Luke narrowed his eyes in question. "The guy at the Firelight festival?" She nodded. "Didn't you break up with him a couple of days ago? You said you were gonna brea--"

"I know. And I did. This is why I didn't refer to his shadow games as a tag along. I'm being stalked here."

"Has he tried to hurt you?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Has he threatened you?"

"No."

"Has he been calling a lot since you broke it off then?"

She sighed. "No."

Luke appeared skeptical. Then, he opened his mouth and sounded even more skeptical. "Then, what makes you think you're being stalked, Lorelai?"

"Because when I go somewhere, he's there too!" Luke rolled his eyes. "A lot," she added for emphasis.

He poured coffee for a customer hastily, just trying to get him out of the way. When done, he focused on Lorelai again. "And what happens when you see him in all these places? What does he say?"

She shrugged. "I don't know! He says 'hi' and stuff, I guess." She seemed to get irritated at all the questions. "Why do you sound like you don't believe me?"

He rolled his eyes. "I didn't say I don't believe you."

She went on. "Because this is a theory I have, and I'm pretty sure--"

"Wait, a theory?" he asked with amusement. "Now, it's a _theory_? First you _had_ a stalker, and now it's a theory of yours?"

She rolled her eyes. "A really _strong_ theory, then. Better?"

He chuckled. He really didn't mean to laugh at her because he could see that it was ticking her off. But his laughter was relief. He'd heard the word 'stalker' and panic was about to set in. Her holes in this theory of hers put him at a great deal of ease.

"It's not funny, Luke."

With a shake of his head, he replied. "You watch too much TV, Lorelai. I'll admit, it's a little strange, but just because someone shows up where you are, it doesn't mean they're out to get you."

"I never said he was out to get me! I'm still stuck on the part of trying to convince you that I may have a stalker! I'm not necessarily _scared_ of my stalker."

He smirked. "So, you want to be friends with your stalker?"

She sighed. "This is starting to sound stupid."

"_Starting_?!"

Lorelai brushed off his mockery. She didn't come in the diner with the intention of making a big deal out of anything, but presently, that seemed to be happening. "Anyway, I decided to switch up my routine a little. For experimental reasons."

"So by coming to the diner four hours early, you're going to throw him off your scent," he gathered.

"The exact opposite, actually. I want to see if he'll show up." She blinked her eyes to the coffee pot. "Can I have some coffee?"

He reached a hand back to the pot blindly and got her a mug with the other hand. "And what if he does show?"

She clutched her mug when he set it down. "Then, I'll be closer to knowing if I have a real-life stalker," came her simple answer. "Cream, please?"

Luke got her creamer while thinking. The situation became less funny to him as he listened to her rationale. "So, you're thinking of this as some kind of game? Is this a funny situation to you?"

She looked at him. "Look who's talking. Wasn't that you laughing at this whole thing five seconds ago?"

Luke shook his head with disbelief and turned away. "I can't believe you," he muttered. He was beginning to worry. And he hated that he was because he was sure it was Lorelai blowing something way out of proportion.

"What?"

He clenched his jaw. "Look…If you think you have someone following you around, maybe playing cat and mouse games isn't the best way of going about it."

She tilted her head as if studying him. "You're worried about me?" she asked.

He lowered his eyes. "It's my opinion. It's just advice."

She smiled. "So, you believe me about the stalker?"

He met her eyes again. "No, I don't," he made sure to stress.

The bell jingled. Luke noticed the customer and followed him with his eyes from the door to one of the tables in the back. When the man appeared settled, Luke looked at Lorelai. She was looking back at him. Her eyes moved over his.

"It's Aaron, isn't it?" she asked without turning.

He didn't say anything for a moment. Then, "It's Stars Hollow, Lorelai. It's a small town."

She smiled a soft smile, maybe a sad one. "It sucks you're not more on my side with this, Luke." She drank another sip then pulled out money and stood. "Ten bucks he gets up and leaves too." She shook her head with that same smile and headed for the door.

Luke's eyes went back to Aaron. He grabbed a menu and his pad and made it to the man's table before he could stand. He'd watched Lorelai exit, and only seconds passed before he was preparing to leave the business he had entered only a short time ago. Luke's presence jarred him, and he looked up at him from his seat.

"Welcome to _Luke's_. What can I get ya?" Luke asked before setting his pen to write.

The man shook his head. "Nothing, thanks. I'm on my way out."

Luke's eyes remained on his pad. His tone was mechanical. "Really? You just came in. Sure I can't get you something? Some coffee, maybe? Just made a fresh pot."

"No, thanks," he said again. He made a move to stand up, but Luke didn't bother backing away from his chair, so he didn't have room.

Luke looked down at him then. "So, why'd you come in here if you don't wanna order?" he asked outright.

"Excuse me?" the man asked with confusion. He thought, surely, he'd heard him wrong.

Luke eyed him distrustfully.

The thought of him chasing Lorelai around town made him want to lash out. He could hit him or fight him. That was an option—one he wanted to laugh at, but still, it was an option. Another one was a tad more rational. He could just threaten him a little. He'd get the chance to use words like 'dead meat' while cautioning him to stay away from her. Luke figured that would definitely help to build up his reputation, if nothing else.

In the end, he did neither.

He simply stepped to the side and allowed Aaron to rise. "Thanks for comin' in," was the only thing he said. His voice was deep. Intimidating, he hoped. While his words told him he appreciated his _almost_ business, the bass in his voice issued a warning. It told him that whatever was going on, whatever he had up his sleeve needed to end immediately.

Aaron didn't bother saying anything in return. He just watched Luke closely until he was safely around him. Then, he was gone.

Luke turned and watched him through the glass. His pace was quick. His direction was the same one that Lorelai had chosen.

Luke rolled his eyes away in annoyance. "Damn it," he whispered to himself.

"Sir, can I get some more coffee?" a patron asked.

Luke stuffed his pad in his back pocket and moved hurriedly toward the end of the counter. "Caesar!" he yelled.

Caesar poked his head out from the kitchen. "Yeah?"

He pointed at the customer with one hand and with the other, he snagged his green coat from the hanger in the corner. "Give her more coffee, will ya? I have to step out."

Caesar appeared confused. "Okay. How long you gone for?"

Luke shrugged his coat on. "I don't know. I'll be back as soon as I can," he answered. "I'll make it up to you."

Caesar turned toward the grill to check on his meat. "Well, it's not a problem, you know. I'm just tryi--" He turned back and noticed that he was talking to himself.

The blinds on the diner's door swung side-to-side from Luke's hasty departure.

---

"Hey."

Lorelai was alert. She swiftly turned to see who had run up next to her. "Uh, hey…" she answered back. She slowed. "Was there a, uh, problem with my tip? I left the right amount this time," she told Luke.

He breathed one last deep breath in an attempt to slow his heartbeat down from his recent jog. "I know. No problems with your tip."

"So what else could I have done wrong?"

He rolled his eyes. "Why would you assume you did something wrong? All I said was 'hey'."

She seemed suspicious. "Are you sure?"

"Am I sure that all I said was 'hey'? Uh, yeah. Pretty sure."

"Oh. Okay."

"So, hey. _Again_."

She smiled. "Hi, Luke."

"Jeez."

"Aw man, I got a _'jeez'_ already?! You can't possibly be sick of me that quickly."

"And after four seconds. This must be some kind of a record."

"So not the answer I was looking for."

"Sorry, couldn't fashion a lie that fast."

She smiled again easily. Her walk had been fast, as she attempted to get back to the inn without running into any unwelcome pursuers. With Luke at her side, she was now at a much slower pace. "So, what can I do for you? Wanted to walk me to work?" she asked playfully.

He shrugged. "What can I say? It's a slow day at the office."

Her smile slid from her lips. "You wanted to walk me to work?" she asked again with question. He didn't answer. "Why?"

Luke ran a hand over his mouth before he stuffed both hands in his pockets. "That guy…Aaron or whatever his name is…not saying he's a stalker as you claim, but I don't trust him. He left the diner when you left."

Lorelai turned back to look. She didn't see him. But that wasn't abnormal. She usually didn't see him until she got to wherever she was going. "Should I collect my ten bucks now or do you want to finish gathering your day's tips?"

"I'm not giving you ten dollars," he answered.

She shook her head. "Do you believe me now? About Aaron, I mean. Do you believe what I told you?"

Luke paused, looking down at his feet as they moved along. "I believe there are some disturbed guys in the world that can see a pretty face and forget the meaning of the word _'no'_."

She looked at the side of his face. "…and _'go away'_," she added with distraction.

He nodded. "Yeah."

There was a pause on her end. "A pretty face seems to be a major weakness with a lot of men," she commented.

"Yeah, I guess so."

She looked down. Pretty face, he'd said. Had Luke just referred to her as pretty?

"So, um…" She shut her eyes and waited long seconds for her brain to kick back in gear. "…uh, damn lost my thought train."

"Train of thought."

"Yeah, that too." She remembered in an instant and started again. "Isn't it just you and Caesar in the diner today? How can you be out here?"

His hands went deeper in his pockets, though it looked like they had nowhere else to go. "Just let me worry about the diner, okay?"

"In other words, just shut up and appreciate the walk?" she asked with a warm smile.

"Something like that."

She took a slight step closer to him and spoke her genuine words. "Well, Luke…like I said, I'm not completely convinced that this guy is anyone to be worried about." She paused. "But this…you here…does make me feel better."

He nodded and glanced at her. "Good," he responded simply.

"Just don't tell Sookie about the stalking thing when we get to the Dragonfly. I don't want her getting worked up over nothing. She worries about me too much as is."

"Yeah, too bad the rest of us couldn't give a damn."

She looked at him. "You know what I mean."

He smiled and kept looking at his shoes. "I know," he admitted.

Lorelai's eyes dropped to his smile then she faced forward. Pretty face, he'd said. She thought about the lady in heels.

"So..." Her thoughts dispersed, and she regarded Luke as he spoke. "You want to tell me about the guy?"

"Well, I already tried to. You laughed at me," she reminded.

He nodded. "I know. This time I won't, though."

"How do I know?"

"Because it's not funny anymore," he replied sincerely. Luke made an effort not to look at her, but he succeeded only partly. "Now, talk to me."

As they walked along, Lorelai once again revealed her suspicions and told him about Aaron—the guy that was currently trailing the two of them.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai exited her office and secured the door.

"Goodnight, guys," she said to the employees in the dining room.

"Goodnight," they all followed.

She poked her head in the kitchen. "Night, Sook. Don't stay here too late, okay?"

Sookie smiled as she worked on getting some things finished. "Don't worry, I'm not planning to," she said. "I'll only be another five minutes."

Lorelai nodded. "Jackson's picking you up?" Sookie confirmed and Lorelai breathed easier. "Good. Bye, Hon." She waved and let the kitchen door swing back. She pulled her gloves on as she walked into the lobby. She scanned it and saw no one other than the night manager behind the desk and a maid headed to the supply room. Again, she scanned it and got the same result. She wished a good night to those present then walked toward the front door while wondering and fighting off disappointment.

She reached out to turn the knob, but it opened before she could get to it. In walked Luke.

Lorelai's smile was instant. And she'd never admit to the relief she felt.

"Hey," she greeted. "Thought you'd forgotten about me."

He shook his head. "No, I didn't. I'm kinda pushing time a little, though. You ready?"

"Yeah, I was about to leave now."

"Okay." He opened the door back and let Lorelai step out ahead of him. He followed her out.

They both tightened their coats when the cold hit their skin. "Uh Luke, where's your truck?" Lorelai asked while looking around the driveway.

"I didn't drive it. I have to change the spark plugs in it. Was planning to do that tomorrow." He watched her slip her knitted cap on her head. "I told you I'd be here to _walk_ you home. Shouldn't that have clued you in to the fact that we'd be walking?"

Lorelai bundled herself up sufficiently. "Well, I thought it was just something people say. Makes it sound more gentlemanly."

"Well, I'm not much of a gentleman. And when I say walk, I mean walk. Only in your world would walk be code for drive."

"Well, whether we're walking, driving, sledding, or go-carting it home, I remain grateful. Thanks, Luke."

They descended the stairs. "I offered, remember? No thanks necessary," he brushed off. He looked around, searched casually to make sure no one lurked. "So, how was your day?" he asked her.

"It was okay. I refereed a battle between Sookie and Michel. No bloodshed there, so I put it down as a winner. And we put in an order for more skis. They said it should take about a week or two for delivery, so with any luck, they'll come before it snows. Though, snow is probably only days away."

"Doubt it."

"Turn your surly cynicism away from my beloved snow please, Lucas."

"Don't blame me. Blame the weatherman. I'm just the messenger."

"Well, I have no problems taking out the messenger, so prepare to die."

He smiled. "Nothing from that Aaron guy since I left here earlier? You didn't see him crouching in a corner or anything, did you?"

She chuckled. "I don't think he's crazy enough to come into the inn."

Luke shrugged and continued to look around watchfully as they walked. "Well, he's crazy enough to follow somebody. Who knows what else he'll do."

"I doubt he'll do anything with you here, Kevin Costner."

Luke shook his head. "Guess that makes you Whitney Houston."

She laughed. "If we take on those roles, you and I will have to get a whole lot closer, my friend."

He looked down. "Yeah, they did have the whole--"

"—falling in love thing happening," she finished.

"Yeah."

"And all the drama. Don't forget the _'I hate you, go away; okay, I love you again, come back'_ drama."

"Lots of that."

She chuckled. "I can't believe you saw that movie."

"Yeah, hard to believe since I'm such a cave person, huh?" He rolled his eyes at her.

"You're not a cave person," she said amiably. "Just after all these years, I'm still trying to figure you out."

"Not much to figure out."

Lorelai shook her head in disagreement. "That's one man's opinion. The woman hasn't weighed in yet, and until that happens, your story is incomplete."

"If my story is waiting for your input, then I may as well close the book now."

Lorelai laughed at that. "Could be Stacie's input." She looked at him.

"Who's that?"

"Stacie Stiletto." She smiled at his new look of confusion. "It's the lady in heels," she explained. "She came in the inn today for lunch with a female friend." She stressed _female_ for his benefit. "Sookie made her grilled chicken salad."

"You talked to her?"

"Just for a second. She gave me her name and asked if her friend had come yet. She hadn't. So, she waited at the desk, and we went over names for you guys' children. How do you like Jackolina for a girl? Teenagers are already so angry at the world, I figured why not give them a true reason to rebel. What do you think?"

He squinted and ignored all that she'd just said. "Her name is _Stiletto_?"

She chuckled. "No, I gave her that name because of the shoes. Her real name is Frankenfield or Franculli or…Frankenstein or something. Can't remember."

"Oh." He paused. "And she really came in the inn?" he asked.

Lorelai took a light breath. "Yeah, she really came in the inn, Luke." She paused. "And she still looked gorgeous. So, the Firelight festival wasn't a fluke, just in case you were wondering."

"I wasn't."

"She wore heels again too. A different pair of course, but ones just as likely to wake the green-eyed monster. I guess she's pretty big on the six-inch or larger heel. It's like walking on stilts. Guys really go for that sort of thing. And you're a guy, so… I guess I can draw my own conclusion on that. I wear eye-catching heels sometimes, but not like Stacie Stiletto does. I mean, the inn is still new, so I can't spend a lot of money on shoes even if I wanted to, and I'm already 5'9", so I don't have the privilege of doing the twenty inch--"

"Why exactly are you talking about shoes?"

She looked over at him in the moonlight. "Well…it's a topic that's near and dear to my heart. I'm a woman. That's reason enough, right?"

"If you say so."

"She was really nice. Seemed like she'd make an awesome girlfriend." She thought. "For me, anyway. In the _'she's a girl who's a friend'_ kind of way." She pointed. "That's how I meant it, but I guess it works out in the traditional way too. She'd probably make a good _girlfriend_ girlfriend too. That's where you come in."

He waited for her convoluted explanation to reach an end. "No, actually that's not where I come in. And next time we're in a crowd together, just know that I'll be staring at my shoes the whole time." She smiled. "I'm realizing that with you, any other focus is dangerous."

Her smile went wider. "Sorry. I don't mean to pester you about it. I'm being your friend. I'm trying to be cool with this…with Stacie Stiletto."

His eyes widened. "_Trying_ to be cool with it?" he questioned.

"_Being_ cool with it, I mean," she re-stated quickly. "I'm _being_ cool with this."

He sighed. "Well, I'm not thinking about Stacie or her stilettos—whatever the hell that means. So, you don't have to be cool with anything. Right now, I'm just focused on you and the lunatic you attracted." He scanned the area. "That's all I care about," he added idly.

She nodded and took a moment to think about the situation in its entirety. "Hopefully this guy will get bored pretty soon and take up a tree planting hobby or something. I know you have things to do besides this," she sympathized.

"Don't worry about it," he responded.

She smiled and shrugged. "Well, in that case, tomorrow I have to hit Doose's. Maybe you can come and tote my groceries to the car…for the sake of safety, of course." She grinned.

Luke rolled his eyes. "Think again, Lorelai."

She chuckled. "Worth a shot, I suppose." A short series of bells sounded. Luke looked at Lorelai where the noise was coming from. "Just my phone's text," she explained. "It's probably Rory. She was at the library, and I told her to let me know when she got back to her dorm safely."

He nodded. "Oh."

Lorelai pushed some buttons and got the awaiting message to display. Luke now looked ahead. He swung his head down to Lorelai when he felt her grasp his wrist tightly. "What's wrong?" he asked.

She shoved the phone in his direction, and he took it and focused his eyes on the bright screen. He read it then looked at her. "Who is this from?"

Lorelai looked around now. "Aaron," she answered.

"Aaron?"

"Yeah."

Luke looked around too. "He can see us?"

"My guess is yeah."

"So…'_who's he?_' means…"

"He wants to know who you are, Luke."

Luke instinctively pulled Lorelai closer his side as he tried harder to see through the night. "Is this guy kidding me with this crap? Who the hell does this?"

Lorelai shook her head. "I don't know." Her eyes zipped all around. "This is getting ridiculous," she said while trying to maintain her cool.

He placed his hand on her lower back and they both started walking again. "For the record, this guy is officially on my bad side." His jaw tightened. "What time are you going shopping tomorrow?"

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai moved through the grocery aisle while tossing packaged food in her buggy.

She shopped alone and entertained herself by humming the song from _Happy Days_. When she got to the cracker aisle, she picked up a box of Ritz peanut butter crackers and Ritz cheese crackers and held them side-by-side while trying to decide which one to choose.

"Oh, who am I kidding?" she said aloud. Both boxes were tossed in her buggy.

Then, it was back to the upbeat theme song.

" '_Monday, Tuesday, Happy Days…'_" she sang quietly.

"That's always been a favorite show of mine, too."

Lorelai turned at the voice. And there stood Aaron.

The happy tune and mood floated away from her, and she stared. Why wouldn't he just leave her alone? She felt anger from what he'd pulled the night before with the text message. She pictured him hidden behind trees and houses as he followed her and Luke. Proof that he was taking this thing way too far. A helpless feeling blanketed her now. The charm and humor was starting to fall away from the act, and she didn't know what to do to get him to go away. Last thing she wanted to do was get the police involved in something that she felt she should be able to handle on her own.

He smiled like she should have been happy to see him. "Hey, Lorelai."

Lorelai spoke quietly. "Aaron, what are doing here?"

He held up paper towels. "Running an errand," he answered. "What a coincidence, huh? You and me here together."

She stared at the paper towels in his hand. Seven years he'd lived in Stars Hollow. According to him, he'd lived there for seven whole years. And never had she laid eyes on him. Now, everywhere she went, there he was.

There wasn't that much of a coincidence in the world.

"Were you following me last night?" she asked calmly.

He actually looked confused. "No."

"No?"

He shrugged. "No," he said again..

"So, that wasn't you at the bookstore in Hartford?"

"Why would I be there?"

"That's where I was," she answered.

He squinted. "No, you weren't."

"So you were following me then," she countered without pause.

He sighed. "Just because I know you weren't at a bookstore doesn't mean that--"

"Aaron, stop this. Seriously. It's not funny; it's not healthy; and it's not effective. Just please stop it."

He appeared slighted. "What am I doing? I'm not hurting you, am I? All I did was come up here to say 'hi'."

She ended up snapping at him. "Well, I'm asking you not to do that anymore."

His features tensed. "I'm trying to be nice here, Lorelai. But you're making that hard."

Lorelai saw his temper brewing, and that was the last thing she wanted to happen since she knew nothing about him. "Okay, um, I think I'm just going to leave."

He grasped her cart to keep her from pushing it, then he looked around the store to make sure they were alone in the conversation. "Come on, why are you acting like such a bitch?" he asked considerately, as if it was the most normal question ever.

Lorelai's eyebrows almost connected. Thirty-five years on the planet, and that was the first time someone had ever directed that particular word at her. "What'd you call me?" she asked disbelievingly.

He smiled a little. "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Forgive me. I just want to talk to you."

Her expression remained. "Will you let go of my buggy? I'm leaving."

He didn't. "You said the guy at the festival was a friend. But I've been seeing him a lot." He eyed her in a playful way. "Were you lying to me?"

Lorelai closed her eyes momentarily. She felt a discomfort that was rapidly turning to fear, and she hated that. "Aaron, I have to go. I want you to move."

He held his hand out in peace. "I promise I won't be mad. I mean, I think it's a little disrespectful that you'd get with him when our break-up is so fresh, but I'll understand if you just tell me the truth."

Lorelai looked over toward the checkout and saw the bagboy and Taylor. The thought of calling somebody for help was so unappealing. But she honestly didn't know what to do. She pictured herself in a horror flick, face-to-face with a psychopath. She saw herself standing there stupidly with warning signs all around her while the audience screamed for her to grow a brain.

Luke was right. She watched way too many movies.

"Aaron, if you don't let me go, I'm going to call the police."

There. She said it. She watched him to see if he'd make follow-through necessary.

He shrugged. "Am I scaring you?" he asked glibly. "All I'm asking you for is a little honesty."

Lorelai sighed and dropped her head. He was _so_ going to make follow-through necessary. Damn it.

"This is insane," she mumbled.

"Who's insane? Me? Are you calling _me_ insane?"

Her head was still low. She spoke partly to him and partly to herself. "I just want you to go away. Why won't you do that?"

"Exactly what I'm wondering," came an incensed voice.

Lorelai's eyes shot up. "Luke," she identified.

He glared at Aaron. "Are you _out_ of your damn mind?!"

Lorelai quickly grabbed Luke's wrist to keep him back. He was moving awfully close to Aaron. He kept moving, though. She pushed her buggy aside and stepped in front of him in the small space. Her back was to his front, and she grasped the nearby shelf to add more resistance to his charge. He finally stopped on his own, only to keep Lorelai from being pushed into Aaron.

"Hey, calm down. We were just talking," said Aaron. He'd finally let go of the cart and was leaning against the shelf behind him to stay away from Luke. He'd dropped his paper towels.

"If I ever catch you near her again, you're going to regret it. Do you understand that? Now, get the hell out of here."

Aaron's eyes went from Luke down to Lorelai. Without a word, he turned and walked away.

"Hey, what's going on back there?" Taylor yelled while stretching his neck to see into the aisle.

Lorelai let go of the shelf. "Nothing, Taylor!" she yelled back. "We just grew a little excited over the sale on peas, that's all. We'll keep it down."

"Oh." Taylor paused. "Well, the string beans are on sale too. Get yourself a couple cans of those!"

She stepped away from Luke and turned. His jaw was tight. He was furious. Lorelai sighed and her hands went inside her pockets. "You've got to teach me that. I was telling him to get lost for five minutes now, and I got nothing accomplished," she stated humorously. "How does it go again?"

He looked at her. "Did he touch you?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No," she replied.

"Did he touch you?" he asked again.

"No," she said with conviction.

He seemed to relax as he looked casually into her cart. "I thought you said you'd call me when you got ready to come here."

She crossed her arms. "I know, but I decided not to. I figured I'd do it alone and give you a break," she stated apologetically. She watched his eyes. "Are you mad at me?"

He sighed and ran a hand down his face. "No, I'm not mad." He got behind her cart to push it. "Next time, just call me okay?" he asked considerately. "I'd prefer it if you did. I don't mind." She nodded. Her eyes were trained on his as she worked out the best way to say 'thank you'. Luke interrupted her thoughts. "Jeez, Lorelai, you really do only eat crap, don't you?" He scanned items in her buggy.

She smiled. "What can I say? It's what I'm accustomed to."

"Well, let me help you out some." He grabbed some of the cans of peas that she'd spoken about earlier and dropped them in the cart.

Lorelai didn't even flinch. "I hope you know those are going home with you."

"We'll see."

"Mmhm." She moved over and casually slid her arm through his. "Come on. I think they have cake frosting on sale. I need something to dip my butter cookies into."

Luke frowned. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

She rubbed his arm tenderly as they moved along.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai stared at herself in the mirror.

"Do you think I need make-up?"

Rory rolled over on Lorelai's bed. She lay on her stomach with her feet in the air, ankles crossed. She flipped through a magazine. "What?"

Lorelai pulled at her face, stretching her skin with her fingers. "Do you think I need make-up?" she asked again.

"What are you talking about? You _wear_ make-up," she responded.

Lorelai faced her. "I know. But do I _need_ it?"

"Are you asking me if I think you're getting old?"

She turned back to the mirror and stared at herself as she talked. "Well, I know I'm getting older. I just need to be sure age isn't making me ugly."

Rory laughed. "Mom, when you come to my school, twenty year old guys break their necks trying to check you out. I think you're safe in that area."

She kept looking at herself. "So, I'm okay?"

"You're really okay."

Her eyes moved down the full-length mirror and she took in various areas of her body. She turned and looked at her rear-end. "I wish I had more of a rump."

Rory looked up from the page she was on. "What is with you all of a sudden? Why the body analysis?"

She turned from the mirror and went to her closet to finish getting dressed. "No reason. Just having one of those days."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, Hon." She went through the clothes in her closet. "Any good articles in that thing?" she asked of the magazine.

"None that I see," Rory replied while still flipping.

"Well, toss it when you're done. No need of adding it to the stack of magazines I'll never get around to reading."

"Will do."

Lorelai took a heavy breath and placed her hands on her hips while looking at her choice of tops. Finally making a decision, she snagged it before she changed her mind. She walked back to the mirror while removing the garment from the hanger. "I think Luke's an ass man," she said casually.

Rory looked up. "What makes you think I'd want to know that?" she asked with a frown.

Lorelai chuckled and slipped the blouse onto her shoulders. "Sorry, Babe."

Rory looked back down. "Jeez." She flipped some pages, and there were many seconds of quiet. "And your rump is fine, Mom. I'm sure he approves."

Lorelai looked over her shoulder and smiled. She shook her head. "Hand me that belt, will you?"

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

"Do you want to come in for some tea or something?"

Luke looked down at the threshold of Lorelai's home. He shook his head at the question. "No, thanks. I have to get back to the diner and lock up."

Lorelai nodded in understanding.

Luke gestured to her. "But don't forget what I told you the other day. You can call me anytime, and I'll be here," he said meaningfully.

Again, she nodded. "Yeah, I remember. Thanks."

They shared a brief look before Luke waved to her and turned to go. "See ya later, Lorelai."

"Bye, Luke," she said thoughtfully. She watched him descend her stairs.

He'd just walked her home. It was approaching a week since he'd first walked with her, and they'd been doing it every day since. He had changed the spark plugs in his truck. Given the situation with Aaron, Lorelai had more of a reason to take her own vehicle to work. But they continued to walk together.

She watched him disappear down the driveway before she went inside and locked her door.

She entered the kitchen, got a drink of water, and then picked up the cordless phone on her way back into the living room. She dialed Luke's apartment. He'd given her the number to his apartment, which she'd never had before Aaron entered her life. The only way she used to reach him, if at all, was by calling the diner.

She settled on the couch and listened to his short voicemail message.

"_No one's home. Leave a message, and I'll call you back."_ Beep.

"Hey, Luke. It's me." She toyed with the ankle bracelet she wore. "I know you're not home yet since you just walked me home thirty seconds ago." She smiled. "But I forgot to tell you about this funny thing that happened at the inn today. So, I thought I'd tickle your funny bone before you turned in. Call me when you get this. Bye."

She clicked the phone off then dropped it to the couch. She rolled her eyes at herself as she stood and headed upstairs.

"Could I be more lame?" she muttered.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Luke jumped awake at the sound of a car door slamming shut. It was now morning, and the sun's early rays were beating down on his truck. He looked at his clock and saw that it was six-thirty a.m. He looked around for the source of the car door and discovered it was a neighbor. He scanned the driveway and the street before realizing Aaron's car was missing.

He'd already left.

"Shit."

One other car remained in the driveway, the same one that was there when Luke had followed Aaron home the previous evening.

After walking Lorelai home, Luke had gone back to the diner. When he saw Aaron staring at him through the thick glass from Taylor's ice cream shop, he nearly flew off the handle. Aaron's stare was not only creepy, but infuriating beyond belief. He was without expression as he licked a soft serve cone. Luke left the diner area and exited through the back out to his truck. He sat and waited. Eventually Aaron finished his cone and got in his car to leave. Luke followed him from a distance. Aaron's route took them past Lorelai's house, to the grocery store, then home.

Luke pulled down the road a bit and shut his truck off.

He didn't have a plan. He didn't have anything close to a plan. He simply figured that it was best to know as much as possible about the guy. His place of residence was a good start.

When Luke awoke and found Aaron gone, he wanted to get back to his side of town as quickly as possible in case Lorelai called and needed his assistance. For the first time, he cursed himself for not have a cell phone.

He got ready to crank his truck before the car in the driveway caught his eye again.

He stared for a moment before taking his key from the ignition and stepping from his truck. He approached the residence while mumbling to himself. "Now would be a good time to come up with a plan," he told himself. "Any plan will do."

He rang the doorbell. Someone yelled from inside, telling him to hold one moment.

"Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb move, dumb move. Dumbest move ever."

The door opened and Luke put the motivational speech on pause. He smiled nervously. "Uh, hey. I'm Luke Danes."

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai folded her arms and looked down at the ground as she and Luke walked along. She wasn't very chatty, just remained thinking. They were on their way to the inn.

"Did you have a good night?" she asked him.

Luke shrugged. "Pretty standard," he answered.

He decided not to tell her about his trip to Aaron's house just yet. Mainly because he didn't have much to tell. He knew only that the lady that answered the door that morning was Aaron's sister. She was on her way out so Luke just let her know they needed to talk as soon as possible. He eagerly provided his contact number so she could call when she had a moment. He expected her call around noon.

Lorelai looked up at him. "You didn't call me back last night."

He met her eyes. "You called?" He panicked for a moment, thinking she may have needed him. That was before he realized that he'd kept track of Aaron's whereabouts until early this morning. She nodded at his question. "Sorry, I didn't know," he apologized.

She lowered her eyes again.

He waited a beat. "What'd you need?"

She shrugged. "Nothing important."

"Oh." Silence. He felt the need to explain. "I just crashed as soon as I got upstairs, so I didn't check my machine or anything."

She nodded and smiled with understanding. "Okay."

He paused. "You can tell me now if you want…whatever it was you called about."

She shook her head. "It was just a stupid anecdote thing that I figured you'd find a little funny. Now, that I think about it, it's more stupid than funny, so never mind."

He placed his hands in his pockets comfortably. "Let's hear it," he told her.

"No, it's okay, I--"

"Lorelai, I want to hear it. Tell it to me," he encouraged. She looked at him and he at her. "I'm listening," he promised.

She looked away and drew in a heavy breath before she was smiling widely. "Okay, if you insist…"

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

"Sook, can I borrow the keys to your truck? I have to run to the store for some tape."

"Tape?"

"Yeah, we ran out. I guess I'll finally remember to order more now."

Sookie smiled. "My keys are in my purse."

Lorelai went and retrieved them. "Thanks, Sweetie."

"I still don't understand why you don't drive the jeep here anymore. You just stand there waiting for Luke to walk you home. Is there something going on that I don't know about?"

Lorelai smiled. "No. I guess I'm getting more fitness-minded in my old age."

"Yeah, right. I'm going to let you sleep on it so you can come back with a better lie tomorrow."

She laughed and headed toward the exit. "I won't be long."

---

Lorelai left the store with a small bag of tape. She'd purchased a few rolls, and she figured they'd hold out until she got more. She hurried along the sidewalk, trying to get back to the inn before she was missed too much.

Her eyes were on the keys in her hand.

She didn't see him until it was too late. He grasped her arm and pulled her into the alleyway. She instinctively yanked her arm away before even realizing it was Aaron. She met his eyes, and anger took over.

"Oh my god, are you crazy?" she exclaimed. "Don't ever touch me!"

He looked around to make sure the area was clear. It was. "I need to talk to you," he explained. He looked her over. "I like that dress you're wearing."

She scoffed. "I'm getting out of here." She tried to move around him but he stepped over and blocked her. "Aaron, don't do this. You're so far out of line right now." She tried to move again, and he prevented it. She fumed. Her expression let him know that slapping him was becoming a real possibility.

He clearly picked up on the look. His tone was rational. "Look, if you hit me, I'm _going_ to hit you back, so just calm down, okay?"

Lorelai looked around him into the street. The normal bustle was nowhere to be seen. If his intention was to rattle her, he had succeeded big time. She looked at him and spoke in a voice that was way calmer than she felt. "What do you have to say?"

He appeared appreciative of her new demeanor. "I would like to take you out with me. I know I may have come on a little strong in the beginning, and that's why you broke up with me. But the only reason I was like that is because I like you a lot. I think you're funny, gorgeous, and you speak your mind. I just want to show you that I can be the guy for you, Lorelai. Give me another shot."

Lorelai controlled her voice, tried to speak kindly to prevent him from doing something harmful. "Aaron, I don't think we're right for each other, okay?" She almost pleaded with him. "Let's just go our separate ways."

"So, you don't want to even give me a chance?" His voice was rising. "That's all I'm asking you for here."

"Well I just think it's best if--"

He grabbed her wrist. "Best if what?" he pushed.

Her eyes widened. "What are you doing?" she asked nervously.

His nostrils flared. "You were saying…?"

She tried to remain calm. "Let me go."

He shook his head tiredly. "You women don't know a good thing when it's staring you in the face, do you?"

She tried to pull free. "Aaron, stop. This hurts." Her lip quivered and she brought it in as she looked at him.

He lost his hard expression when he chuckled. "Don't tell me you're going to cry. When we get back together, first thing we have to do is toughen you up!"

---

Luke hung up the phone and breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, he saw an end to the problem that kept him up nights worrying about Lorelai.

He'd been speaking with Aaron's sister. What he learned in the first few minutes of their discussion brought clarity to a lot of confusion. Aaron—the man whose effort attracted Lorelai and whose normal appearance allowed him to pass by Luke's guy radar—had a serious psychological disorder.

He was bipolar. Slightly violent and obsessive when off meds, but mostly fine while on them. When Luke explained to Aaron's sister what had been going on with Lorelai, she came to the conclusion that her brother was not taking his medication as he should have been. It made the third time that he stopped in the course of a year, and Luke was able to witness her reaching the final straw. He got the uncut anger. She carried on for minutes. That ended in both an apology and a promise that they'd never again have to worry because she was completely fed up. She assured Luke that Aaron would be going to be with other family members, ones who would have better luck in being there for him.

Luke felt immediate sadness for the sister that had strong pressure to give up on her brother. Because in his stint with Jess, he'd learned what emotional pain that could bring. He felt great sympathy for her. However, this was serious. If Aaron refused to take his meds on his own, and his sister couldn't get him to, then someone else needed to take responsibility.

Lorelai's safety was on the line.

After speaking with her, Luke pulled himself up from the couch in his apartment and left out. He decided to fill Lorelai in on all he'd discovered.

He made it to his truck, cranked it, and pulled off slowly. He labeled the day 'weird' when he saw how few people were out and about on the chilly mid-day Wednesday. Suddenly, the day got much weirder when he witnessed Lorelai bolting from an alley.

He slammed on brakes and leaned out the window. "Lorelai!" he called.

She turned her wide, panicked eyes in his direction and ran over to him instead. Luke climbed from the truck and met her. "What happened? Are you okay?" he asked, grasping her shoulders.

She held her wrist. "Yeah, I'm okay," she said in a shaky voice. She looked back. "Aaron's in the alley. I think it's time we called the cops."

"Did he hurt you?"

She trembled beneath his hands. "No, he just…" She inspected her wrist then held it tightly again. "I'm fine."

Luke told her to stay by his truck and he went into the alley. Aaron was there. He was crouched over yelling about being blind. Apparently Lorelai had taken an open opportunity and tried to gouge his eyes out with her nails.

Luke took hold of his arm. "Get up," he instructed while helping him to his feet. "You're lucky she got to you first," he said tightly. Aaron tried hard to free himself while still being unable to see. Luke shook him in anger. "Fight me if you want, and I'll take you right to the cops!" he warned.

He settled down. "I think she tore my cornea! I can't see!" he said as he pulled his hand away and tried to open his eyes through the pain.

Lorelai watched them come from the alley and she grew confused. "Luke, what are you doing?" she yelled over.

He shook his head and pointed to Sookie's truck, which he assumed she'd taken into town. "Go see about your wrist. I'll explain later."

She nodded while still looking wide-eyed at the two of them. She watched Luke open his driver's side door. He pushed Aaron in and made him slide over to the passenger seat. He saw Lorelai still standing in place. "Lorelai, go!" he ordered. "I'll call you as soon as I get a chance."

With that, Luke climbed inside his truck and started it up. Lorelai slowly moved toward Sookie's truck with the bag of tape and her purse dangling from her fingers as she watched Luke's pick-up disappear. Her shock was clear. "What in the hell just happened?" she muttered.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

The porch swing at the Dragonfly was new. But like the stairs inside, it had a squeaky sound that suggested it had come from Mrs. Kim's antique store. Lorelai liked that characteristic a lot. She and Luke sat on it together, and they both looked out into the yard that had rapidly decreasing light drawn over it.

Several hours had gone by since the incident with Aaron, and Luke had just arrived to talk to her.

He looked at her wrist and refrained from touching it.

Lorelai smiled. "You can stop looking at it, Luke. It's not going to start bubbling and turning green," she joked.

He used his feet to gently rock them back and forth. "Sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I told you that." She shook it side-to-side for his benefit. "If this baby isn't ready for a slap boxing showdown, then I don't know what is."

He nodded and looked away. He was glad to see that Aaron hadn't hurt her. On the ride to his sister's house, he had to keep from pushing him out of a moving vehicle every time he thought of him touching her at all.

"So, he's okay?" Lorelai asked, feeling concern for the man that had threatened her.

Luke sighed and leaned back in the swing. "He will be. I just took him back to his sister." He shrugged. "He's sick. Figured I'd let it be a family problem instead of involving the police and blowing this thing way up, you know?"

Lorelai nodded considerately. "And he's _going_ to get help?" she asked seriously.

"Yeah, he is. And the best part is, he's going to do it far away from here."

She visibly relaxed. "That's good news."

"Definitely a relief," he agreed.

There was a moment of silence. Lorelai stared out onto the landscaped yard of her business.

"So…I guess this is it."

"What is?"

She looked at him. "No more stalker means no more need for a bodyguard."

"What do you mean?"

She rolled her eyes. "You don't have to walk me home anymore, Luke," she clarified.

He finally caught up. "Oh."

They looked down at their fingers at the same exact moment. More silence.

"You finally get a break. You happy?" she asked quietly.

He shrugged. "Sure."

Lorelai breathed deeply and fingered her hair. She put on a smile when she looked at him. "Well, I have to get back inside. If I'm gone too long, Michel begins to whimper and scratch at walls. It's really quite pathetic."

"Guess you do have to get back in there then."

She stood up. "I'll see you."

He watched her walk toward the entrance and called out to her just as she got ready to go inside. "Hey, uh, I walked you here today."

She nodded. "I know."

"So, since your jeep isn't here, I should probably get you back home, right?"

She smiled. Her hand went to the knob. "I'm finishing up at nine," she told him. "Don't be late." She winked and went inside.

Luke watched the door close before he turned back around with traces of a smile.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai worked quickly to finish things up by seven-thirty.

This was the third night since her encounter with Aaron that Luke was coming to walk her home. The night before, he had shown up at ten, which was fifteen minutes later than she told him to arrive. She didn't get on him too much because she had kept him waiting thirty minutes the evening before that.

Now that Aaron was no longer a threat to her safety, both their punctuality seemed to go down the toilet.

But he was still there. He still walked with her.

When Lorelai looked at the clock, it read 7:25pm. She turned her computer off, flipped the lights, and then headed into the lobby.

Sookie came in from outside, and Lorelai told her she was taking off.

She left the door cracked for her. "Okay. Perfect timing too because Luke's here. He's in the truck. I told him I'd just send you out there when I came back in." She made a sweeping motion with her hand. "Your chariot awaits, Mi Lady."

Lorelai squinted. "Why'd he drive his truck?"

Sookie rubbed her hands together to generate heat. "No idea. Probably because it's cold as the dickens out there! That'd be my guess."

Lorelai waved her off. It had been just as cold the other nights they walked together. She hoped Luke wasn't starting to feel obligated in getting her home and just wanted to get the task over with as quickly as possible now.

With a distracted 'bye' to Sookie, Lorelai left the inn.

She climbed in the passenger side of the pick-up and let out a slightly indignant, "What's this about?"

He frowned. "Well, _hello_ to you too."

She sighed. "Hi."

"Now, what exactly are you barking at me about?"

She removed the edge from her voice when she said, "The truck. Why did you drive? I thought we were going to walk like we usually do." She trusted that if he was tired of walking with her, he'd come right out and tell her instead of dropping hints. It wouldn't hurt any less, but it was an all-time preference of hers to get the facts upfront.

He tossed a hand up. "Well damn, Lorelai, it's early. I thought we'd grab something to eat." Her expression changed to something kinder, softer. He rolled his eyes. "If you'd prefer, I can park the truck, and we can walk the four miles up the road!"

She lowered her eyes. A smile lighted her face even though she felt bad for messing up his attempt to try to do something nice for her.

After a moment, she met his irritated eyes and only smiled more. "Where are we going?" she asked softly.

He seemed to accept her unspoken apology. "You'll see when we get there."

She pulled on her seatbelt as he cranked the truck. "Am I dressed okay?"

He glanced over at her stylish work-wear then looked away. "You're always dressed okay," he said casually.

She felt heat pass through her cheeks as she smiled. Looking at him, she noticed, rather late, that he wore no hat. And under his coat, he wore a solid black shirt.

For a moment she wondered…

"Um…Luke?"

He focused on trying to get the heat to blow properly. "Yeah?" Her mouth remained open but nothing came out. She kept looking at him with curiosity. After many seconds, he looked at her. "Yeah?" he asked again.

She blinked and looked out the windshield. "Never mind."

"Okay," he said with a shrug. He put the truck in Reverse. "I hope you're hungry," he said alluringly.

Lorelai placed a hand over her empty belly. "Starved."

He smiled. "Good to know."

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai turned to face Luke when she'd made it to her front door. He'd been behind her and stopped just shy of invading her personal space.

They met eyes.

"So."

Luke smiled in that pause, and then followed with his own, "So."

She leaned on her door. "Thanks for taking me to dinner."

"You're welcome."

"It was, uh, really delicious," she said just to fill silence.

He nodded. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

Lorelai looked down at the keys in her hand. The clinking sound cut through the quiet between them. Her eyes met his again. She seemed nervous and unsure of what to say. Her question came fast, like she was trying to get it out before she thought better of it. "Was this a date?" she asked quietly.

Luke swallowed while looking at her. Their oddly identical eye colors both changed while they stared. "No," he answered.

She didn't expect that. "N-no?" He looked down. She made an attempt to recover from her unexpected shock. "Oh. Okay, well…I, uh…" It didn't work too well.

"Well, no…not exactly," he answered again.

"Not…exactly?" she asked carefully.

"It's just effort," he explained. Eyes connected. "Um, not really a date. Just effort." Quiet led him to continue. He gestured at her. "Do you remember you said that you just needed the, um…" His shy words faded out.

She nodded. "The effort," she finished for him. "I remember."

He nodded too. There was a long pause. "So, this is me…trying, I guess."

Lorelai's stare made Luke extremely nervous. That lasted seconds. Then, she moved away from the door, and he stopped breathing. Her approach took forever. She got in his space, in his face…then stopped. He remembered to breathe. Her voice was just a whisper when she spoke. "Mind if I meet you halfway?" Luke heard her words and felt them on his lips. Her being that close made him want to pinch himself awake.

She leaned in first. He followed in a close second.

There was a soft kiss. A delicate kiss. It ignited something that neither expected with the simplicity of it.

When they leaned in again, he pulled her in by her hips. Her body went flush against his. She rubbed across his shoulder, his neck, then finally the soft hairs on his head as she allowed his tongue to slide into her mouth. She reciprocated, and soon her moans and breathing had gotten away from her.

They parted for a breath, and Lorelai realized she was now against her front door.

She rested her forehead against Luke's and caressed the side of his face. Breathing was heavy between the two of them. "Do you want to come in?" she whispered. He tightened his fingers around her waist, and she pushed her pelvis into his on instinct. She felt him coming to life. "Say yes, Luke," she was barely able to say.

He nodded. "Yes," he submitted.

Lorelai moved her forehead away from his and wasted no time getting her door unlocked. She turned the knob and brought her lips back to his. They touched tongues. Teeth knocked gently then there was deep kissing that created sounds of passion.

Luke fell to Lorelai's bed when they made it upstairs. She came down on top of him and straddled his waist. His erection pressed up against her through his jeans, making her ready—making her wetter than she already was. She undid his shirt as he rubbed his warm hands under her dress, over her thighs.

They looked at each other unblinking. Luke grasped gently behind her neck and guided her lips to his. She moaned sweetly and put her all into it as they opened up to one another. His lips were perfect. Soft when they needed to be, firm enough to highlight his experience. She had no coherent thoughts while they kissed, only glorious tingling from head to toe.

She realized she could crave this. Crave him. Like coffee. She could crave Luke like coffee.

They undressed while touching, while admiring.

Her sex rested against his. She still straddled his waist. He held her sides. With a light back and forth movement, she slid her moist center over his shaft and got him as slick as she was. Luke licked his lips sensually as he looked down and witnessed himself grow more erect from the feeling that created.

Lorelai brought him to her opening and lowered her body.

He groaned.

Her eyes closed and she tilted her head blissfully toward the ceiling when more of him went in and stretched her walls.

Luke's hands left her waist and went lower. He grasped her cheeks and rubbed them for long seconds before using them to help her move. She bit down on her lip when he went deeper. Her hands smoothed across his chest and stomach tenderly. And then she was riding him. _Really_ riding him.

Luke grunted.

Lorelai inhaled, exhaled, moaned. Repeated that, and then moaned louder. His depth excited her, brought pleasure that made her flow non-stop.

His skin and her skin came together fast for a time. They grasped at one another and suppressed sounds that came out strangled and more abnormal. When Lorelai froze, Luke didn't. He started to slow until he saw her peaking. He knew exactly when she hit it because her insides clamped him tight. His toes curled as he fought to hold on.

Her climax took her to another place and made her feel weightless. She fell to Luke's chest weakly. Her body shook as she pulled herself up enough to reach his lips. There was an unhurried, deep kiss shared between them. Breathing slowed as their tongues glided.

Better than coffee. Ten times better than coffee.

She broke the kiss when she slid onto his hardness more. Her chest still lay against his.

Luke pushed into her, penetrated her fully and with care as she basked in the feeling of that. She sat up and started to ride him again.

He linked his fingers with hers as they held an intense gaze.

She moved slowly. Her movements were more passionate.

When Luke encouraged her to do so, she rolled on her back and allowed him to climb on top of her. He intertwined his fingers with hers again, and held her hands on the mattress on either side of her head. His mouth went to her neck. Lorelai's legs hugged his thighs, then his waist.

Her breaths came through an open mouth. She closed her eyes as Luke sucked passionately on her neck. His deep penetrations felt overwhelming. She called his name too soft for even him to hear as she swam in sensation.

Luke let her hands go and whispered in her ear how she felt to him. He let her know he was close. So was she. She pulled his lips to hers and kissed him deeply in response.

Her second orgasm is what got him there.

Their hot skin remained pressed together. Neither said anything for a moment. When Lorelai felt Luke kiss her shoulder softly, she rubbed his neck.

"Oh my god." She breathed. "Are you okay?" she whispered. She asked the question more so to make sure there weren't any post-sex regrets forming. She got her answer when she felt him sprinkle more kisses onto her skin.

"Yeah," he replied quietly.

She smiled and ran fingers through his hair. "Oh my god," she said again. "Who knew, huh?"

"Knew what?"

She took a moment to think. _Knew that this would happen. Knew that it'd be this damn good when it did. Knew that so many deep feelings resided inside of an eight-year friendship_. She shrugged after seconds had passed. "I don't know. Just…who knew?" she said again.

Luke considered that before a smile came across his lips. "Well, I kinda did."

He looked up at her when there was silence. They met eyes. Finally, Lorelai smiled a bit. "I kinda did too," she admitted quietly.

Luke shied away before just pressing his lips to her neck. Gently, he pulled himself off her and lay on the mattress at her side to continue his lip work. Lorelai touched his skin, rubbed him softly as he did that. When seconds stretched out in silence, he asked quietly, "What are you thinking about?"

She smiled a smitten smile. "Just everything. I'm kinda…replaying everything in my head, you know?"

He matched her smile. "Good playback?"

"Instant classic."

He ran his hand up and down her body. "You're good for a man's ego, you know that?"

She chuckled and turned on her side to face him. "I did realize something that you may want to prepare yourself for, though."

He met her eyes. "What's that?"

"Well, there's a, uh, great possibility that Babbette saw what went down on my front porch tonight."

He thought for a moment, then appeared mortified when he realized she could be right. "Well, maybe she didn't. Let's hope she didn't."

She smiled. "She knows what time I bring my paper in every morning. I doubt she missed the groping session, Hon."

He buried his head in the pillow. "Oh, jeez!"

She rubbed his shoulder. Luke was very much a private person. That was obvious. "It's okay. It'll be okay. We just have to be prepared, that's all."

He snapped. "Why do you have to live next door to the biggest gossip in town anyway?"

She laughed. "So, this is _my_ fault?"

Luke rolled his eyes and sighed in defeat. Of course, it wasn't her fault. The true blame rested on those eight years. It was a wonder they didn't go at it in the grass.

"Guess it's the price you pay for living in Stars Hollow," he yielded.

"That's all I'm saying." She leaned in and kissed his lips. She did it fast in appreciation then did it again more softly when he puckered up. They pulled apart and turned the moment intimate when they stared. She showed contemplation before finally revealing what was on the tip of her tongue.

"You make my heart beat so fast when you look at me like that." She smiled. "Stop it."

His lips curled, and he never blinked. "Can I ask you a question?" he asked.

"Of course."

He smiled wider. "How'd you really feel about Stacie Stiletto?"

She said nothing for a moment. "Honestly?" He nodded. "I wanted to claw her eyes out."

He laughed at that. "I'd say the same thing about Aaron, but you kind of beat me to it."

She shook her head at his humor. "Looks like you owe me a favor, then." She kissed his lips again and sat up. "I'll take coffee."

Luke rolled his eyes. With a groan, he pulled himself up too because he knew she was _hardly_ joking. They both stood and threw on just enough clothes to be covered.

She led the way out of the bedroom and slowed when Luke wrapped his arms around her from behind. She stroked his arms and smiled at the feeling of him against her backside. She looked over her shoulder and told him to stop before he started something primordial. He chuckled softly at the appealing threat. His hand rubbed over her midsection before he backed away and squeezed her ass. Lorelai started down the stairs with a grin painted across her face.

She was on her way to get coffee. On her way to get something that now had a second place ranking. In the course of an hour, it had been eclipsed by something…someone far more desired.

It was now Luke…and then coffee.

Luke. Luke kissing, Luke touching, Luke sexing…and then coffee.

Lorelai had to shake her head at that. Coffee was loved, had been loved for so long. And it would continue to be loved and adored.

But.

If the meanest, cruelest, most twisted day of them all came around, and a choice had to be made, a side had to be picked, Sophie had to man up and make a decision, the verdict would come. Lorelai would say a little prayer, shed more than a few tears…and bid farewell to her liquid love. She would do that in favor of the diner man.

She'd do that and never look back. But for now, they co-existed in the perfect world. That was best for everyone. She could handle the co-existing thing with a much saner mind.

When she and Luke made it to the kitchen, Lorelai sat across from him at the table and listened to him talk openly about nothing in particular. A slow smile came over her lips before her eyes went to the coffee that brewed behind him. He paused and questioned her, but she only smiled more as she entertained her own thoughts.

First Luke…_then_ coffee, she mused.

Who would have known?

**-The End-**

:) Did you all like? Let me know, and good things will happen…like maybe another fic before 2 mos. passes. Haha. Let's hope that happens regardless!! 2009 is looking too darn fic-light for old oh-no. But this year is sucking anyway, so it fits right in lol. Take care until next time.


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